Really
by dreambigwriteoutloud
Summary: Willow has always admired Jerome from afar, obvious to everyone, including Jerome. But when pressure forces the two together, Jerome doubts wanting anything to do with Willow. However, a sudden change of heart and push in the right direction allows Jerome to see Willow in a new light. (Happy One-shot Day!)


**A/N: Hey guys! Happy One-shot day! This is a little gift from me to you in honor of my participation in one-shot day 2014! I know that it's short, but I'm going to have several other short one-shots today! I hope you like it, and as always, Enjoy! x (also, BONUS to whoever can tell me where the famous quote I used is from, hehe!)**

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><p>"Yeah but that's not how the game works!" Patricia droned on. Jerome didn't want to hear it.<p>

"No! No, no, absolutely no! There's no way I'm kissing Weeping Willow."

"Mate, you're going to hurt her feelings. Like, devastatingly hurt her feelings!" Alfie tried to reason with him.

"If I kiss her she'll get the complete wrong idea!" Jerome hisses, throwing his hands up in the air.

"And if you don't, you'll make her cry! C'mon, Jerome, have a heart!" Alfie tries to persuade him.

"I have a heart," he argues. "It's just very small, and preserved."

"I'll say..." Patricia rolls her eyes, huffing while crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'd like to see you go out there and kiss your ex then, Pattycakes," Jerome sneers. Patricia almost pops him one right then and there.

"We're working things out, you..." Alfie cut her off.

"Jerome, just kiss her. You have to. That's the game." Jerome, already highly irritated and pissed off, huffs.

"Fine, I will." Storming back into the room, Jerome puts on his best fake smile, and rejoins the group. "Sorry about that," he apologizes to Willow.

"Oh, that's okay," she smiles and laughs nervously.

"Shall we?" Jerome says, before leaning into the circle and pressing his lips against a very intimidated and almost petrified Willow. He made sure not to make the kiss too long, but didn't cut it short as he had planned to. Mostly because it wasn't as bad as he had thought it was going to be, which surprised him. Of course he would never admit this, because his ego refused to let him be wrong for a change.

When he did pull away, however, Willow's eyes were wide, and she remained silent, not responding. Jerome awkwardly sat back in his spot, clearing his throat. "Right... well I believe it's someone else's turn," he says, running his hand through his hair.

"If you'll excuse me..." Willow speaks up, getting up and leaving.

"Willow!" Jerome yells after her. She doesn't reply. Jerome grunts under his breath, standing and following after her. "Hey," he calls. Still, she runs from him. Jerome grabs her by the arm, stopping her from going any farther. "Hey," he repeats. "What was that about?"

"Jerome, I just wanted a minute to myself," she tells him. "Will you give me that?"

"If you tell me what you need it for," he negotiates. Willow sighs.

"I'm just confused," she says truthfully. "I thought you hated me, so when you left, I wasn't surprised. But when you came back, and when you kissed me, I was so shocked, that I needed a minute to process it. I still do." Jerome frowns. He never knew that she had thought he felt that way.

"I don't hate you, Willow. I couldn't hate you."

"Well you certainly don't like me," she sighs, looking down at the ground.

"I never said that, either. I don't know, how I feel about you. But it isn't fair for me to shut out getting to know you, and I'm sorry for that. I was being stupid, and I would like to get to know you, Willow."

"Really?" Willow gasps. Jerome smiles halfway.

"Really." The girl squeals with excitement, throwing her arms around Jerome's neck and hugging him.

"Sorry," she immediately apologizes, pulling away. Jerome laughs.

"It's okay, you don't have to be." Willow smiles, and Jerome kisses her on the cheek. "I was wrong about you, Willow. I shouldn't have judged you so quickly. You seem like a pretty cool girl."

"Thanks," Willow giggled. "And you are a pretty cool guy, Jerome," she agreed, smiling.

"Thank you. Now, I think we should both get back in there with everyone, shall we?" Willow nods in agreement. The two of them head back into the living room of Anubis where the others are still playing spin the bottle, and rejoin the mix. Now, though, they have agreed to stop playing spin the bottle, and decided on another game. However, some people weren't interested, and those not split off and did things of their own desire.

"Jerome!" Mara called from the other room. She walked over to the tall blonde boy who was standing and talking to Willow, pulling him away from her. "There you are. What were you doing with Willow? I thought we were together?" Mara says.

"Look, Mara, I was just talking to her, that's all. I only kissed her because that's what you do when you play spin the bottle."

"You seemed to be into it more than you should have been..." a jealous brunette argues.

"Mara, we've been off and on for months now. And right now, we're off. I'll kiss whoever I please, and you can do the same," he flatly tells her. "If I want to pursue a relationship with Willow, whether it be as a friend, or more, I will."

"Jerome Clarke! You can't be serious," Mara gasps.

"Oh, but I am," he smirks sarcastically, walking away with a drink. Joining Willow once more, Jerome smiles, and tells her a joke, making her laugh while Mara remained on the sidelines.

"Have you ever celebrated the life of an old oak tree?" Willow asks him. "Or studied the blossoming pattern of a rose?" Jerome smiles, laughing.

"No, unfortunately I have not; but I'd love for you to show me sometime."

"I'd love too!" Willow was shocked. "I'd love to," she repeats, delicately sipping the tea from the cup in her hands.

"Good," Jerome smiled, completely forgetting that Mara was still watching. Well, at this point she had left, but she definitely saw them at some point, and quite frankly, Jerome no longer cared. It may take a while for him to admit this to Alfie and Patricia, that they were right, but Jerome was allowing himself to see a new part of Willow, and he was loving it already.

"You know, I normally don't show my garden to just anyone," Willow teases. Jerome shrugs.

"Well, it would be an absolute honor to be the first," he smiles at her, taking her hand in his, and placing a kiss on it. She giggles, pulling her hand away slowly.

"Then I'll show you, whenever you'd like."

"Thank you, Willow, I'd love that."

"I would too," she smiles back, sipping her tea and sharing a laugh with the boy she had only ever dreamed of talking to. And now, she potentially had the chance to date him. She had changed something in him, whether she knew it or not. It just goes to show that it was not necessarily the thorn bending to the honeysuckles, but the honeysuckles embracing the thorn.


End file.
